‘Emi Lokan’: Tinubu claims that he invoked the spirit of freedom in Ogun

The President claimed that in order to overcome the challenges in the election, he called upon the energies of independence and tenacity represented by “Emi lokan.”

When President Bola Tinubu encountered difficulties leading up to the February 25, 2023 presidential election, he claims he called the spirit of freedom and tenacity in Ogun State.

He gave a speech on Thursday in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, after visiting the palaces of the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, in the state capital of Abeokuta, and the paramount monarch of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona.

In spite of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) ineffectual cashless policy, Tinubu claimed he was still hopeful and optimistic about winning the most recent presidential election.

In his reflection on the difficulties facing the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu recalled his worries regarding the seizure of monies and the failure of the cashless policy, as well as how he had previously asked Oba Adetona for advice and counsel during his visit to the palace.

The President claimed that in order to overcome the challenges in the election, he called upon the energies of independence and tenacity represented by “Emi lokan.”

“Our money was taken away. The cashless policy was horrible at the time and didn’t function. I understood that I had come to Ogun State in order to embody the spirit of freedom that our community is known for.

“Twice, I called upon that spirit. Baba Emilokan’s spirit. Baba is that. He’ll tell you that’s him: direct and decisive. The second spirit is that we will conduct the election and prevail money or no money, he continued.

Speech by Tinubu at Epochal Emi Lokan

In order to win the election, Tinubu, who served as the mayor of Lagos from 1999 to 2007 and helped create the APC in 2013, had to negotiate contentious topics.

Being a Muslim, his selection of Kashim Shettima, a fellow Muslim and former governor of Borno State, aroused controversy and received harsh criticism.

Throughout the campaign, there were ongoing concerns about his health as well as accusations of crime and corruption, which he and his staff vehemently refuted.

He and his campaign received no break. He and his team had extra questions to address as a result of the protracted gasoline shortage and the apex bank’s Naira redesign strategy, which caused currency shortages and misery for Nigerians in the final months of the campaign. In the end, his party was in power.

The Naira redesign strategy, in particular, divided the party weeks before the election by pitting him and close party friends against the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

“Their goal is to incite you to violence so they can deceitfully appoint an interim government and cause the election to be interrupted and delayed. However, we are wiser now, therefore this will backfire, the former governor of Lagos warned in early February, in what was taken to be a direct criticism of the Buhari administration and the President who supported and defended the redesign of the Naira.

He would go on to deliver his now-famous “Emi lokan (It is my turn)” speech on June 2, 2022, after growing frustrated with the President’s apparent lack of support and reports of opposition from important members of the Presidency.

At the Presidential Lodge in Abeokuta, Ogun State, he addressed party delegates and declared, “It is the turn of the Yoruba, it is my turn.”

He described how Buhari consistently lost presidential elections until he (Tinubu) assisted him in winning in 2015. Later, in a statement, he would express his appreciation for the President.

Now it’s Tinubu’s turn.

On March 1, 2023, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC chairman, declared the former governor of Lagos the winner at just after 4 a.m. in the National Collation Centre in Abuja, a room filled with reporters, party agents, and observers.

In addition to winning 12 of Nigeria’s 36 states, Tinubu also won substantial majorities in a number of other states, giving him 8,794,726 total votes, about two million more than former vice president and PDP candidate Atiku Abubakar.

Abubakar, 76, who has already campaigned for president six times, received 6,984,520 votes, while Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), who in less than a year galvanized youthful voters in a way that some have called unprecedented, came in second with 6,101,533, received 6,101,533 votes.

On May 29, 2023, Tinubu was elected president of Nigeria. A week after taking office, he removed CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele and enacted drastic reforms, including the unification of international exchange rates.